The present application relates generally to communication networks, and, more particularly, to methods, systems, and computer program products for managing communication traffic between user devices and various networks by establishing a Virtual Private Gateway (VPG) between the user devices and various networks. These networks can be insecure such as the Internet, or secure such as an Enterprise network. Efficiency and security of a communication network may be improved by managing traffic via security policies.
It is not uncommon for mobile workers to connect to their secure network with different devices either to get email or access enterprise applications, such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Devices may vary from laptops using cable modems (wireline), laptops using wireless PC cards (wireless) to smart mobile devices, such as iPhones and Blackberries. Typically, enterprises are required to balance the needs of security and the flexibility of remote access demanded by mobile workers.
A basic security challenge is to develop a technology platform to protect all Internet Protocol (IP) communications between the employee and the secure enterprise network. Typically, enterprises have turned to IP Sec based Virtual Private Network (VPN) solutions to secure traffic between employees and the enterprise This solution is valuable, but may lead to inefficient bandwidth utilization and potential scalability problems. The system described hereafter takes advantage of the security features of an IP Sec based VPN access solution, but also introduces mechanisms to improve efficiency and scalability of the gateway system.